discomfort: lower rib area

Welcome to HW Landers :)

If it's on the left, more than likely it's your Uc. There's not a whole lot on the left except the liver can cause deferred pain. Typically pain on the right side is indicative of the gall bladder/liver/pancolitis issues if it's near the ribs.

Sometimes even gas can be felt in those areas as well. Use Google to find out where your colon is, they have some great diagrams out there. The colon starts at the rectum, moves around the left side to below the ribs, goes across the ribs to the right side and down the right almost to the hip. It's like a big upside down "U".

It's more often on the left side, but sometimes both. I do have pan-colitis so that would make sense. The reason I'm not sure if it's the colitis is because a flare-up would normally involve cramping (which this isn't) and of course blood and mucous. My BMs have maybe been a little loose but nothing bad. I called my GI and she thought it might be irritable bowel syndrome... anyway, I'll be monitoring it... I mostly just wanted to see if that kind of sideache-like discomfort was something that rang a bell with anyone else.